310 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



bous ; preopercle somewhat cavernous. Eye rather large, a little shorter 

 than snout, 4i in head. 



Mouth small, inferior, horizontal, the lower jaw much overhipped by 

 the snout, its tip extending little forward of the nostrils. Maxillary 

 extending to opposite middle of eye; premaxillaries in front, far below 

 level of lower edge of eye; length of gape, 3| in head. Teeth very 

 small, nearly as in iS. fUrthi, in narrow villiform bauds in both jaws, 

 the outer row in the upper jaw enlarged. 



Preopercle armed with strong radiating teeth, about three near the 

 angle larger than the others, none of them directed downward. Chin 

 with two large pores, preceded by two smaller ones, and without syni- ' 

 physeal knob. Pseudobranchiaj small. Gill-rakers (as in S. ophioscion) 

 minute, slender, not longer than nostril. 



Scales roughish ; lateral line strongly curved, becoming straight op- 

 posite middle of anal fin. 



Spinous dorsal rather high, the spines not very slender, the second 

 spine a little stronger than the others, 2^ in head; the highest spine 

 If in head, considerably higher than the soft rays. Soft dorsal and 

 anal fins scaled a little more tban half way up. Caudal double truncate, 

 the middle rayed moderately produced, the upper angle acute, the lower 

 rounded; middle rays of caudal If iu head. Anal inserted nearly under 

 the middle of the soft dorsal, the distance from its first ray to base of 

 caudal 3^ in length of body. Second anal spine shortish, but rather 

 strong, somewhat shorter tlian the first soft ray, its length considerably 

 greater than its distance from the vent and equal to half the length of 

 the head. Ventrals small, reaching about half way to anal, not to tip 

 of i)ectorals, which are long, scarcely shorter than head. 



Head 3f in length; depth 3. D. XII, 25; A. 11, 8; scales 5-51-9. 



Color in si)irits: Dull brown above; belly white, but not silvery; 

 up])er fins brown, the spinous dorsal dusky at tiji ; anal dusky, thickly 

 studded with dark points; ventrals and pectorals dusky; a faint band 

 of dark points from base of pectoral straight to caudal, bounding the 

 dark color of the upper parts. Peritoneum white; lining of opercles 

 partly black. 



Three specimens of this species, each 6f inches in length, were taken 

 in the Bay of Panama. 



This species is evidently allied to 8. ophioscion, although differing 

 considerably in details of form. It has also some points in common 

 with the members of the group called Stelliferus. 



Scicena opMoscio\i does not appear to us to difier genericaUy from 

 8. vermictilaris (Gthr.), or from S. ocellata (L.), the type of the group 

 called Sciccnops by Professor Gill. We are moreover unable to see that 

 the latter group differs from the typical species of tScuvna {aquila) in any 

 important respect, the small size of the anal spine in ^^Seimia,''^ as dis- 

 tinguished from *•' Corvina,^^ being a character of no systematic importance 

 whatever. 



